As we all know stopping a child from hitting is not so easy. As per research it is a common behaviour and doesn’t last too long. But it won’t just go away on it’s own. You’ll have to work on it every time you see it or it might stay and get worse with time. Your calmness and consistency will help your toddler to understand the expected behaviour and will develop self control.
Always remember by the time your child starts hitting, they can understand most of what you say and you can use tone and facial expression to make your words more clear.
Step 1 - Remove your toddler each time and tell them hitting is not safe - You should never wait for even a minute or until you get back home to correct them because they might forgot what you are talking about.
Remove them from the situation to talk to them, or hold them if needed. Repeat this as many times needed until they register in their mind.
Step 2 - Stay calm when your toddler hits you - Although very hard but here comes your patience test. Try to stay calm and just tell them what you expect in a plain tone. Don’t shame them, or give them a huge lecture. They might be embarrassed or mad. Or they may just stare at you to see what you’re going to do.
Step 3 - Checking the root cause-These problems might be the reason of the violent behaviour which you must address:
*being tired
*hungry
*overstimulated
Step 4 - Show them what to do instead of hitting-
*Waiting for the turn for the toy they want.
*Teaching them to use magical word ‘please’ when they want something instead of hitting.
*Praise them like crazy when they are gentle.
*Cheering by using kind words like That’s so nice!!
